The need to have versus the ability to display

[rschaap]

I was taking inventory of my collection and came to this realization. My need to have out weighs my ability to display. I have been thinking about rotating my collection, so I can enjoy everything. Then reality sets in and I become lazy at the thought of how much work is involved in taking thinks out of boxes and trying to put them back into their original boxes. I believe I have a fraction of what I own on display. Does anyone have a solution, other than buying a bigger house. I'm all ears.

[Axis Nightmare]

I'm right with you now. I have been lucky to have opportunities this year to purchase large numbers of items at prices I just couldn't turn down. I have four or five times what I had a year ago.

Shelves, shelves and more shelves for the ground stuff and I am going to have to get creative for the planes. My entire basement is going to be a 1/18 scale display area by the time I'm done. I have to look at things differently and be willing to change how things are arranged and used. And even then, I will still have a great many in storage and in boxes. I'm working on a closet for that purpose. Oh wait...that's already filled with 1/6 stuff! Where did all that come from?

[USCGMK2]

I switched to smaller scales. I just kept one of each 1:18 A/C that was my favorite. Although, I do have 3 1:18 Corsairs that I couldn't part with. But switching to a smaller scale solved my need of "every A/C version in 1:18 problem". I know it may be a pain to switch scales but being an apartment dweller it helps me.

[supersonicfifi]

In order to save some space on the shelves i do what we do in real life with small planes , gliders and ultralight : I remove on wing or one blade on my helicopters and jets...



It help a little but it's funny how fifferent the decoration concept vary between Mr and Miss Collector !!!!

you can have some ideas on thsi subject. http://www.warbird-photos.com/gpxd/view ... =1&t=30204

[rschaap]

I converted the bedroom closet by removing the doors and installing new shelves, I also installed shelves on the walls for the same reason. I am still lacking space.

[tmanthegreat]

This was a problem I've long faced... When I lived with my family, I had only one room to display stuff and had to rotate displays with everything else stored in cupboards, the closet, and the attic. I had about 8 planes on display - 6 hanging and 2 on a table - in my old room, with an assortment of smaller scaled items and 1:18 tanks stashed about.

Then I got my own house... For two years, I've been single with my own house and lots of toys (though the single part is changing now...) I have my stuff displayed across 3 rooms, with the most being in the study and master bedroom; add to that a couple closets. More is stored in the garage in their boxes. Between shelves, cabinets, the walls, the ceiling, and ledges high up on he walls, I'm able to display about 75% of my collection in a reasonably tasteful, but fun, fashion.

Here's a few photos that I've posted before:

[TankAce]

I think we all have the same problem. I took measurements of one of my closets and bought bookshelf's. The bookshelf fit right in and closet doors can be open to display collection or close.
I had to make the hard choice of selling the repaints to get other stuff in. At first it was hard but since i kept my favorite paint variations i didn't miss the repaints.
No regrets so far.
I have been considering to switch scales to a smaller one but there is so many thing available in small scales that i will probably end up having the same space problem.
So in the end i have to ask myself:
Will i rather have more and many different things in a small scale?,
or is it better to have less and more detailed in a larger scale?
Since i have not decided yet i have been collecting large and small scale until i can decided.

[rschaap]

One of the things I did, was to avoid buying anything that was not American military. I was tempted a number of times especially when Pickel made the Horton. I wanted it so bad, but I resisted the temptation. I am pretty sure if I were to announce that I plan on expanding my collection outside of American military, the wife would give me the boot

[Axis Nightmare]

I just removed the double sliding doors off a spare closet that I was able to condense the contents to other locations. Put my 1/6 vehicles and misc. stuff on shelves and am stacking my still in box stuff in there. I may put the doors back on since nothing sticks out to far and it is more storage than display at this time. It is an evolving process. The shelves where that all came from will now be used to get some 1/18 armor and planes out of boxes from recent aquisitions. Nothing here to allow for more aquisitions, just to get some control over what I have and eliminate some clutter. It's not pretty but it sure helps. Next step is to improve display space.

[Jesse James]

I think all collectors go through this to a point... Sometimes it depends on how you like displaying things, or how you just collect in general. For me, customizing is a big part of my collecting habits, so building something outweighs my need to display it. I'd like to, but sometimes I just can't.

I also sometimes buy without thinking how important it is to me, so for instance I have a bunch of 1/18 planes on my ceiling displayed but do I care about them? Not as much as my 1/18 armor. So I often contemplate selling many of those off.

I'm having a lot of these inner debates too though. I have a corner space I intend to build a modular shelf, and do displays in them built to these shelf dimensions specifically, that I can do a rotational display concept that shows off what I can do in that scale kind of. Something better than just a figure or vehicle sitting there, but more a mini environment. A starship hallway, a world war I trench, a section of ruined french street, a piece of the Endor forest with a biker scout... It's an idea to satiate my diorama urge without eating up the space most of my diorama ideas would ultimately eat up if I did them as I wanted.

Collecting has a lot of soul-searching involved in it once you get to a certain point... What matters? What doesn't? What do you prefer? What can you cut out? What are your future goals? What is the line from collecting to hoarding?

I'm not a big model kit guy but I have gotten into some recently because I feel they'll cross nicely to Star Wars (I try to keep everything to that parameter... Only my military figures and armor really transcends it). I have discovered these kits though, and other kits that will sort of mesh well with those and my ultimate goal, and in my searches and expansion of my knowledge on those by joining other groups devoted to those kits, I've found a lot of guys hoard kits and never build them. I have some of that in me. It's a tricky demon to fight, haha.

[Jnewboy]

Sometimes reality is a whore... When I look at my collection (unbuilt and still boxed) and then look at my space... reality starts trying to mess with me... but I dont let her get me down... I tell her to shut up and that Ill get a bigger house someday and then I drink a beer.

[rschaap]

I fall into some of the categories of the last two posts. I do tend to hoard. I have 12" GI Joes in several boxes in storage which I have never displayed. I have over 500 unbuilt model kits not counting my 1/18 scale military stuff, several hundred diecast cars, along with a number of miscellaneous collectibles. I look at it all and often ask myself, why do I need all of this.

My wife has said in the past, "I don't get it, why do you have all this stuff, you can't enjoy it." As much as I hate to say it, that statement rings through my head every time I look at everything I have in storage, my attic and the rafters in my garage. A part of me wants to believe I will have the time to go through everything and get rid of some of the things I really will never display. I have about 16 months before I retire and am hoping to implement some of my thoughts for my collection.

[normandy]

I've been watching this post evolve and the common factor seems to be space.
All of us start some place and everything is fine until that one day you looking around while holding
your 1:18 King Tiger and say........."where the hell is this going to fit?" Your out of space!

This issue slowed then stopped my 1:6 collecting early on, I never ran out of space but could see it coming.
1:18 was the scale went with around 2001 and now displaying all of it is a challenge......I can't, too much...I'm out of space.
Rather then stop or quite collecting I change the display, rotate the collection as would a museum...........
thats what Mrs. Normandy calls my collecting room..."the museum" and it is, well maybe not as clean .

As far as hoarding, I think thats a question each individual has to confront. I've got few new in box tanks and
halftracks....all tagged for custom projects. So I don't think thats hoarding or is it .

For me the most important thing about collecting is the enjoyment of it and displaying it.
If you can't see it or its no longer fun whats the point of having it?

[Axis Nightmare]

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As far as hoarding, I think thats a question each individual has to confront. I've got few new in box tanks and
halftracks....all tagged for custom projects. So I don't think thats hoarding or is it .

I have lots of duplicates now. I was selling them off for a while but am now thinking about possible customs and multiples for scenes and dioramas.
Is this my excuse to hoard

Every time I see a display like at the 1/6 scale show or the Playmobil thread, I get inspired to do something with what I have in place of aquiring more and more. But then I might need that one or two more items for that display.......

[rschaap]

I started to collect 1/6 scale at one point and then realized that there was no way I can support that type of collection. I tried limiting my collection to U.S. Military to keep from getting carried away, however if you've seen my room that did not work. I know what needs to be done, I just have to find time to do it.